10
Dec
Posted by John S in Aught Lang Syne, Music, Rankings. Tagged: "See You Again", Animal Collective, arcade fire, Aught Lang Syne, best songs of the decade, Eminem, Franz Ferdinand, Hey Ya, Idioteque, Interpol, Intervention, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, LCD Soundsystem, Lose Yourself, M.I.A., Miley Cyrus, Obstacle 1, OutKast, Paper Planes, Peacebone, Radiohead, Rihanna, Since U Been Gone, Someone Great, Stronger, Take Me Out, the Aughts, TV on the Radio, Umbrella, Wolf Like Me. 2 comments
So you thought we were done discussing the music of the decade? Well, think again. We didn’t get to what is arguably the most important list of all: The Best Songs of the Decade. When Tim introduced Aught Lang Syne last week, he discussed how certain cultural events will always be linked to events in our lives. Songs may be the best example of this phenomenon. Unlike albums or even music videos, which are generally experienced individually, we tend to listen to songs in groups: They’re on the playlists at the parties we go to; they’re in the background of the bars we drink in and the restaurants we eat at; they’re the songs we dance to when we go to clubs; they’re on the radio when we take road trips. In short, they are the soundtrack of our memory. These are the songs that we will inevitably remember when we think of the Aughts.
Of course, out cultural memory does not always have the best taste: It will probably be impossible to remember the Aughts and not think of the Black Eyed Peas, but God knows I’ll try. What follows, then, is not an attempt to capture the most popular, memorable, or iconic songs of the decade; it is merely a list of the 25 Best Songs. Nevertheless, it is often difficult–and generally undesirable–to dissociate a song from the positive memories of the context in which you heard it. So even without actively trying to incorporate these qualities, the Best Songs of the Decade will inevitably include some of the Most Popular, Most Memorable and Most Iconic.
Anyway, on with the list: Continue reading →
4
Dec
Posted by John S in Aught Lang Syne, Music, Rankings. Tagged: Animal Collective, arcade fire, Aught Lang Syne, Bloc Party, Carl Newman, Dan Bejar, Dear Science, Feels, funeral, Heavy Metal Drummer, Interpol, Jesus Etc., kid a, LCD Soundsystem, merriweather post pavilion, Neko Case, Radiohead, Silent Alarm, Sound of Silver, the Aughts, top ten albums of the decade, Turn on the Bright Lights, TV on the Radio, Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. 5 comments
Albums may seem like a dying a breed as technological advances make it easier to skip and rearrange tracks, but they are still the primary creative force for most musical acts. And whether it’s a pointless convention or the natural artistic outlet for music, we still evaluate acts based on the strengths of the albums they put out. For most music fans, it’s albums that allow them to develop a relationship with a band or artists work. Whereas most of NPI’s musical retrospective thus far has been an attempt to sum up what was popular, innovative and interesting about this decade in music, this list is not going to be concerned with broad trends: We are looking simply for the BEST albums of the decade. Now, this is just one man’s opinion, but I think it’s safe to say that if you made it through this decade without listening to these albums, then you’re missing out on quite the musical experience.
Continue reading →
So you thought we were done discussing the music of the decade? Well, think again. We didn’t get to what is arguably the most important list of all: The Best Songs of the Decade. When Tim introduced Aught Lang Syne last week, he discussed how certain cultural events will always be linked to events in our lives. Songs may be the best example of this phenomenon. Unlike albums or even music videos, which are generally experienced individually, we tend to listen to songs in groups: They’re on the playlists at the parties we go to; they’re in the background of the bars we drink in and the restaurants we eat at; they’re the songs we dance to when we go to clubs; they’re on the radio when we take road trips. In short, they are the soundtrack of our memory. These are the songs that we will inevitably remember when we think of the Aughts.
No Pun Intended 